grader called Jake, who enlists
in a school for gifted children.
These misfit nerds with the other
gifted teens are taken to a history
museum for a back to school day
trip. As part of the trip, they are all
to get involved in a street Parade.
Jake and the two other heroes
are conned into walking behind
some horses, their job is to pick
up dung the horse’s deposit on
the way; exciting right? The story
quickly moves to this unlikely trio
foiling a very bizarre burglary
at the museum involving a very
famous person’s pair of gloves.
The burglars are part of a sinister, political cult who have plans
for world domination that can
only succeed using cloned DNA.
If that doesn’t intrigue a middle
-schooler nothing will!
The plot is very clever and keeps
you guessing, however the story
is also about the flawed but basically decent teenagers facing
real evil that not only threatens
their lives but also their loved
ones and the general public. The
heart of this story is about growing respect, trust and compassion the heroes learn to have for
each other, which forges them
into a fighting team against far
superior odds.
Hi Brian, I have had fun reading
your first and newly released
book ‘The League and the
Lantern’. It took a while for
this 64 year old to get into
the mind-set of a young teenager but it wasn’t as hard as
I hoped it would be! It seems
that the way boys and girls
interact at this stage of their
lives is full of exaggeration
and under-statements; rarely
do they seem to just speak
plain English to each other!
However once I got into the
story, I enjoyed the plot, which
was like a roller coaster ride. I
soon began to empathise with
the trio’s emotional dilemmas,
remembering what I was like
at that age!
Good (stories that call out the
best in us instead of preying on
what’s worst Stories of forgiveness instead of revenge, perseverance instead of easy wins,
serving others instead of just
looking out for yourself). What
moms say is it’s hard to get both
How did you as the author think in the same entertainment. I
though their eyes, and write in think it’s because it’s hard to
a way that was authentic and do both and that in trying to get
not patronising or cute?
attention in a crowded marketI think it helps to have two teens place sometimes creators take
in the house! I also have a group shortcuts with violence or sex.
of about a dozen 9-14 year old
“Beta-readers” who read my The book includes strong
drafts and keep me honest on moral lessons, in family, friendthings like that!
ship, compassion, mercy.
Do you think the normal culThe theme reminded me of tural model lacks such basic
the movie ‘National Treasure’ human virtues?
but with youngsters instead of I do think it’s unfortunately
dysfunctional grownups; do increasingly rare to see these
you write about the characters kind of things celebrated in cutfirst then the plot or the other ting edge entertainment.
way round and why?
It’s a mix for me. On ‘The League I understand that 140 vocabuand the Lantern’ I developed lary words that are needed for
who Jake was going to be first, middle-school success are
then came up with a rough idea invisibly woven throughout
for the plot, then developed Lucy the story. Have educationaland TJ before throwing all 3 of ists commented on such a
them together and seeing what conscious educational incluhappened. I would say about sion?
50% of the original plot held up We’ve received wonderful feedand the rest changed as I went back on this aspect from both
along.
traditional school teachers and
home-school educators. One of
You say on your Facebook my favourite reactions is when
page that “We need more sto- the reader doesn’t even realries that are both great and ize that’s been done, but then
good” What do you mean by download the companion vocabthat, and I am assuming you ulary guide that’s available for
feel there is a lack of such, so free on LeagueAndLantern.com
why do you think this is so?
and then go back and study the
I hear parents, particularly words.
moms talk about the struggle to
find entertainment for their fami- Do you think the young readlies that’s both Great (engaging, ers might not be keen to
awesome creative with great know this, as they might react
writing and characters) and saying ‘that’s not cool’?